Trip Report If you don't have a bag "entah" through the "centah"

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away a family visited a planet called "Walt Disney World" and all was right in the galaxy.

That's right folks I have only been home for 4 days and it seems like a lifetime ago that I was floating through my days in a magical bubble where I didn't have a care in the world. A place where I woke up at 7 am because I wanted to and only thought about food and FP+ reservations. A place where money wasn't accepted and a magical mickey head paid for all of your wants and desires. A place where the air didn't hurt your face and a Frosé was an acceptable substitute for your morning coffee. I don't know what it is but whenever I am in Disney I often feel like I am my best self. I am not riddled with anxiety and everything just seems perfect while I am there.

As expected we had a magical time filled with some unexpected moments, family squabbles, magical memories, happy tears, exquisite meals, loads of laughter, delicious drinks, and we even managed to make lifelong friends.

If you didn't read my pre-trip report you can follow along here https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/who-needs-christmas-presents-lets-go-to-disney.929947/
or I will give you a quick run down on our cast of characters.

Myself (Alisa) and my Handsome prince Charming, Jerome. We landed in the world on December 7th and after many days of vacation creep didn't leave until December 16th.

Notice how I am dressed like it is the arctic and Jerome has on shorts and a T-Shirt. I will get into that later in the report.

My parents and my little sister, Jilly. They were in the world from Dec 7th - December 13th.

and my in-laws. They were in the world from Dec 8th - December 13th.

with cameo appearances by @Ariel1986 and her husband.

The majority of this trip was spent at Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter. Me and Jerome transferred to the Dolphin on December 14th.

With that let's put this Trip Report into hyperdrive..........

 

[dclfan]

I'm in!

Thanks for following.

 

[dclfan]

I’m loving your trip report as I am also living in this “Bomb Cyclone “ storm. 15 inches here so far! How much have you gotten?
BTW my dads name was Jerome! Great name!

I think we have about 12 inches.Where in the northeast are you? The snow is bad but these temperatures are what is killing me. I will take the "frigid" 50 degree temps they are experiencing now in Orlando over this any day.... I am soon to be a Jerome myself . That is actually my fiancé last name but he goes by his last name. I agree though it's a great name.

 

[dclfan]

Kelly works as a dental assistant, so most of her holidays are based on when her boss takes time off. So we were thinking of doing aulani end of August before the girls head back to school. Then we were thinking Disneyland in October. It's a lot cheaper for us to fly down to California than Orlando. It's hard to coordinate time with school and extra curricular activities. When are you going for your honeymoon? We did Honolulu when Kelly was pregnant with Lenny and it was amazing.

We are going in December for our honeymoon. Still almost a year away but we're really looking forward to it. I have only heard great things about Hawaii. If you go in August you will have to give me a full trip report on how you liked Aulani. Great idea with Disneyland in October. It will save you some money but still give you a Disney fix before coming back to the world in 2019, just in time for Star Wars

 

[dclfan]

Love the name of your TR and we would have fallen down laughing had we heard that, too! No idea how, but our 4-year old son has a wicked New England accent...we certainly do not

Hope you weathered the bomb OK. I can’t wait (insert @Tuvalu snark here) for the forecasted high for tomorrow...below ZERO Global warming, you say? I say, “nay, nay.”

That is too funny about your son. Maybe he is preparing for a cast member role in AK lol. Where are you guys in NH? We're on the seacoast in Dover and weathered the bomb ok. We were even able to sneak out last night for a late dinner. I'm totally with you these temperatures are killing me. I'm always cold ,even when it's 85 I'm cold so these last few weeks have been unpleasant to say the least. It says tomorrow's "real feel" is -21. I can't even deal...... Also I just burst our laughing. Classic Lou Mongello . Will I go outside today? I say, "nay, nay".

 

[mcstensrud]

I think we have about 12 inches.Where in the northeast are you? The snow is bad but these temperatures are what is killing me. I will take the "frigid" 50 degree temps they are experiencing now in Orlando over this any day.... I am soon to be a Jerome myself . That is actually my fiancé last name but he goes by his last name. I agree though it's a great name.

I live in Marblehead and we got 17.3 inches when all was said and done. Also a lot of coastal flooding.Now waiting on the Bitter cold temps to come.
We have a trip planed for May and it can't come soon enough.

 

[dclfan]

I live in Marblehead and we got 17.3 inches when all was said and done. Also a lot of coastal flooding.Now waiting on the Bitter cold temps to come.
We have a trip planed for May and it can't come soon enough.

I haven't been brave enough to venture outside yet today but judging by how cold it is inside my apartment I don't plan too haha. Accu weather said real feel is -3 today and -21 tomorrow. Even our local coffee shop is closing early because it is unsafe for people to be outside later this evening. Ugh gross.
I can't wait to read all about your May trip. We are actually going to try and go back in May if we have our AP's by then. Are you really staying at Copper Creek Villas?!? I am super jealous. You have to tell me all about how they are when you return.

 

[mcstensrud]

I haven't been brave enough to venture outside yet today but judging by how cold it is inside my apartment I don't plan too haha. Accu weather said real feel is -3 today and -21 tomorrow. Even our local coffee shop is closing early because it is unsafe for people to be outside later this evening. Ugh gross.
I can't wait to read all about your May trip. We are actually going to try and go back in May if we have our AP's by then. Are you really staying at Copper Creek Villas?!? I am super jealous. You have to tell me all about how they are when you return.

Hubby and I are gonna try to venture out tonite for some dinner? He is a Plumber so all he has been doing is dealing with Frozen pipes.
Although we have been married a little over 29 yrs we are Polar opposites when it comes to Weather.He Skis every weekend and I cannot take the cold.
Yeah Copper Creek! We swung by there in September to check out the pool and it looks great.
This will be trip # 4 on our AP'S Well worth it.
I see you are Heading to Aulani,Sounds great. That's on our Bucket list,along with moving to FL.
Stay Warm,
Cindy

 

[Tiggerish]

Love your Pandora pictures! Somehow the gloomy day makes that landscape seem real, and your pics are the first ones that I've seen that give a realistic impression of the floating mountains.

 

[dclfan]

Hubby and I are gonna try to venture out tonite for some dinner? He is a Plumber so all he has been doing is dealing with Frozen pipes.
Although we have been married a little over 29 yrs we are Polar opposites when it comes to Weather.He Skis every weekend and I cannot take the cold.
Yeah Copper Creek! We swung by there in September to check out the pool and it looks great.
This will be trip # 4 on our AP'S Well worth it.
I see you are Heading to Aulani,Sounds great. That's on our Bucket list,along with moving to FL.
Stay Warm,
Cindy

Have you survived the deep freeze? It might be near 50 by the end of the week. It's time to break out the shorts hahaha.
I've only heard good things about Copper Creek. I've actually been pricing it out for a May trip as well. Who knows maybe we will end up being neighbors in Disney as well . Neither of us have gone to Hawaii so we are both super excited for the honeymoon as well moving to Florida. It's looking like a March move is in our future.

 

[dclfan]

Love your Pandora pictures! Somehow the gloomy day makes that landscape seem real, and your pics are the first ones that I've seen that give a realistic impression of the floating mountains.

Thanks so much for following and the kind words. My pictures aren't nearly as good as some of the wonderful photographers on these boards but I'm glad I could capture some of the realness of the new land for you. Maybe it was the rain but I was truly captured by the beauty of the place.

 

[dclfan]

Day 3 Continued:

Last we left off we had just entered the world of Avatar and were heading towards out first ride of the day, NA'VI River Journey. The plan was to rope drop NRJ since we did not have a FP for this trip. Our plan worked as we walked directly onto our boat with 0 wait time. I am probably in the minority here but I actually really liked the ride. Sure, it was no Flight of Passage but the scenery was fun to look at. I especially loved the little animals you could see on the lilly pad looking things above your head. The animatronic figure was super impressive and way larger than I thought she would be. Did you see those tootsies? Size 13 AT LEAST.

"Mai ah Wa, Mai ah Wa, Mai ah Wa".

I don't even know if those are the correct lyrics but they were stuck in my head for quite a while after the ride. When we got off the ride we thought we would try our luck at FOP so we headed that way but the line was already at 180 minutes or something so we kept moving over to Windtraders. My sister briefly considered making an Avatar in her likeness for her birthday present but in the end changed her mind. We then head over to Satu'li Canteen because of could have sworn they had breakfast but alas it was closed. At this point the group was starting to get pretty cranky (which was my fault since I made them all get up so early ) so we head over to Creature Comforts hoping a caffeine fix would cure their moods. Thankfully loaded up with espresso and cookies they turned into much happier people.

Our next FP was for Expedition Everest so we headed over. Everest is always one of my favorites and today was no different. Me and Jerome watch this show called "expedition unknown" and every time we always make a joke that Josh Gates filmed the episode where he searches for the yeti on location at Animal Kingdom. I think we rode back seat for maximum air time on the backwards section buy my memory is foggy and can't say for certain.

After EE it was time for a trip back to pre-historic times on our time rover. During the pre-show someone's phone started playing Tom Petty very loudly. I was so agitated until I leaned closer and realized it was my FIL. He couldn't hear it so it just continued to play through the entire pre-show and then when we realized it was him he of course couldn't figure out how to turn it off. . ahhh the joy's of traveling with the elderly lol.

(Please excuse my face, not sure what is going on)

and then this happened which was lovely

After Dinosaur we walked over to watch Fotlk with a layover for a another round of EE. This time in the front row to ensure maximum screams out of my FIL. Notice his death grip on the restraints. lol

FOTLK was excellent and my in-laws LOVED IT. I wasn't sure if my FIL was going to love some of the stage shows and this was one of his favorite parts of AK. I am happy to say all the tumble monkeys were performing although there was one new one who I didn't recognize. While in the show it was a unanimous decision that lunch would be next. I reviewed the menus with the group before the show started and everyone decided on Satu'li Canteen. I was so excited to try a new quick service and was not disappointed. My dad grabbed a table for 7 while the rest of the crew went up to order. Jerome, FIL, MIL, and myself all had the cheeseburger pods. In addition FIL also had a Teylu Hot Dog Wrapped in Dough and I has a banshee Pinot Noir because vacation. Mom, Dad, and Jill all had different bowls. I believe Jilly had a vegetable and quinoa. Mom had the sustainable fish, and dad had beef. Everyone loved their meals. As we were leaving the line was out the door so we must have sneaked in right in time. The only complaint I have about this place is the odd setup. If you walk in the front doors we were seated directly to the left in that small section by where they cook the meat. If you are at that table there is no way to access the soda/condiment section without walking back into the ordering part of the restaurant. Has anyone else had this issue?

Up Next: Safari, and Nomad Lounge

 

[Zipadeelady]

Whenever J and I watch Expedition Unknown we always spend the next hour or so yelling "WHAT IS THAT?" or "LOOK AT THAT!" Good times.

 

[wdwfamilynh]

That is too funny about your son. Maybe he is preparing for a cast member role in AK lol. Where are you guys in NH? We're on the seacoast in Dover and weathered the bomb ok. We were even able to sneak out last night for a late dinner. I'm totally with you these temperatures are killing me. I'm always cold ,even when it's 85 I'm cold so these last few weeks have been unpleasant to say the least. It says tomorrow's "real feel" is -21. I can't even deal...... Also I just burst our laughing. Classic Lou Mongello . Will I go outside today? I say, "nay, nay".

We’re on the other side of NH...right on the VT border.

 

[wdwfamilynh]

Have you survived the deep freeze? It might be near 50 by the end of the week. It's time to break out the shorts hahaha.
I've only heard good things about Copper Creek. I've actually been pricing it out for a May trip as well. Who knows maybe we will end up being neighbors in Disney as well . Neither of us have gone to Hawaii so we are both super excited for the honeymoon as well moving to Florida. It's looking like a March move is in our future.

If it even gets close to 40, I’ve already threatened to dig my lounge chair out of its winter home and sit on the deck

 

[dclfan]

Day 3 Continued:

After lunch we quickly stopped back in Windtraders to get a plan that my MIL had saw earlier in the day. She was halfway through paying when they informed her they could not ship it home. Ok, well can you ship it back to my room at least? Nope. Finally they said they could ship it to the front of the park. Needless to day she ended up leaving the plant in her room as it turned out to be too much of a hassle to bring home. Hopefully a sweet mousekeeper took it home and enjoyed it.

After that my Mom really wanted to see It's tough to be a bug so we walked that way. Me and J decided to do a little shopping while the rest of the gang went inside to see the show. Jerome ended up getting a Turkey Leg T-Shirt.

and a grumpy T-shirt for his dad. I was looking to try on a rose gold ring with a black sparkly mickey head that caught my eye but the store was MOBBED and no one seemed to know where they keys to the jewelry case were or who was working that section so I decided to save it for another day. The show was over by the time we were done so we headed over to meet the crew. FIL loved his shirt so much he put it on tight over the shirt he was wearing. He said it was because his sonny bought it for him. So cute

My sister and Mom decided to head back to the room now so we kissed them goodbye and headed over to the Safari. When we left lunch the wait time was 20 minutes but somewhere in the last hour it jumped up to 75 minutes. The in-laws really wanted to ride so we decided to tough it out. The line actually moved really quick and we ended up having a lot of laughs while we waited. We were even visited by this little guy.

Let me start by saying. We are sooooo glad we waited. This turned out to be the BEST safari I have ever been on since 1998 when the park opened. I don't if it was the rainy day or cool temperatures or maybe we were just lucky but the animals were extremely active today but enough of me talking let's ride.

Hello little Giraffs

Here comes the best part of the whole Safari, the LIONS. Guys Mufasa was very much active. We turned the corner and he was standing there all Mufasa like and roaring and I mean roaring loudly and non-stop. I couldn't believe it. I had never seen this before. He was staring right at our vehicle and pacing. When our car started moving around pride rock he started walking as well. It was there he stopped and started nudging Nala very suggestively. My FIL very loudly announced that NALA was presenting herself to him. .

Nala

I don't know if he was very angry or if that was the start of a roaring good time for the lions. I wanted to stay and watch forever but sadly our guide made us move on. I don't have any more photos because everything else wasn't nearly as cool as the lion encounter. We couldn't stop talking about it the rest of the ride. My dad kept saying "that was the best safari I've ever seen". "I never see the lions awake". My in-laws just assumed safari's are always epic and I was just happy that everyone was happy. lol

Up Next: Nomad Lounge, Gorillas, and a 20 degree temp drop.

 

[dclfan]

Whenever J and I watch Expedition Unknown we always spend the next hour or so yelling "WHAT IS THAT?" or "LOOK AT THAT!" Good times.

I know right, it is one of our favorite shows. We've actually booked vacations to see some of the places Josh goes on the show haha. It's a great advertisement for the travel industry. haha

 

[dclfan]

If it even gets close to 40, I’ve already threatened to dig my lounge chair out of its winter home and sit on the deck

Seriously lol. I will be outside with my glass of Rosé if it hits 40. That will seem like 100 after the last few weeks.

 

[kaitertot5249]

Loving your report so far! That safari ride looks and sounds amazing, I would die if the lions were that active on one of my safaris

If it even gets close to 40, I’ve already threatened to dig my lounge chair out of its winter home and sit on the deck

Seriously lol. I will be outside with my glass of Rosé if it hits 40. That will seem like 100 after the last few weeks.

I live just south of Boston and the high today was 42 and its forecasted at 57 on Friday. Today felt like a heat wave compared to the last few days. The air temp was -14 when we woke up on Sunday morning. It was insane. I'm sick of this New England weather -20 one day and almost 60 less than a week later

 

[mcstensrud]

@dclfan @wdwfamilynh and @kaitertot5249 isnt this weather we call seasons why we live here in New England in the first place. Well some of us for now!

 

[dclfan]

Loving your report so far! That safari ride looks and sounds amazing, I would die if the lions were that active on one of my safaris



I live just south of Boston and the high today was 42 and its forecasted at 57 on Friday. Today felt like a heat wave compared to the last few days. The air temp was -14 when we woke up on Sunday morning. It was insane. I'm sick of this New England weather -20 one day and almost 60 less than a week later

Thanks so much for following along. I am seriously so sick of this weather. The past few weeks my house (which is a zillion years old) couldn't keep up with the bitter cold so we had the thermostat cranked and it was still only around 69 in the house. Today I'm working in my office sweating and I look and the house is almost 90 degrees. What? This weather is too much. I can't deal with any more -degree days.